Letter: MDOT should come clean on Z-Bridge documents

I am a long-time News subscriber, a professional engineer and the retired former executive of a mid-Michigan heavy construction firm which has had considerable experience in building roads and bridges on Michigan Department of Transportation projects. I followed with interest — and some dismay — your articles and editorials regarding the multi-million dollar, as-built fiasco on the Zilwaukee Bridge.

The stonewalling of MDOT in response to your requests for the results of their $80,000 study about fault was disturbing, as was the study results that you reported. This led me to suspect that the absence of the proper as-builts was due to lack of due diligence on the part of MDOT itself, a suspicion you apparently share.

You summed the situation up succinctly when you wrote in your Dec. 17, 2010, editorial: “And MDOT should tell us all why the agency didn’t make sure it was provided updated bridge documents.”

I further suspect the “no one at fault” finding is a contrivance allowing them to deflect the blame. In short, a cover-up. I’m sure those responsible for the actual lack of due diligence are long gone, since it has been decades since this took place, but the cover-up is happening now. I wrote to Rep. Ken Horn and also the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association explaining my misgivings and suspicions on this matter, with hopes of recruiting them to apply some pressure on MDOT to come clean one way or another.

In a Jan. 2, 2011, article you wrote that Michiganders are a little anxious to know all of the details, and the article ended by urging MDOT officials to shape up. At this point in time you were still coming down hard on MDOT.

However, later on in 2011, your articles about the Z Bridge and MDOT’s conduct appeared almost congratulatory in nature, leading me to wonder if perhaps MDOT had given you what you were asking for.

I would like to know if you were given some information by MDOT that satisfactorily answered why the agency didn’t make sure it was provided updated bridge documents.